East Union teams win at state TRAC Bridge Building Challenge

Jackson, Miss.—Middle and high school students from around the state recently competed in the annual Transportation and Civil Engineering (TRAC™) Bridge Building Challenge at the Clyde Muse Center on the Rankin campus of Hinds Community College in Pearl.

TRAC™ is an education outreach program of the Mississippi Department of Transportation and introduces students to a variety of career opportunities in the field of engineering.  The program teaches students how to apply math and science concepts to help identify and resolve engineering barriers in the transportation industry.

MDOT utilizes STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education as a learning tool in the program and provides each team with a TRAC Challenge Entry Kit, materials and guidelines to construct a bridge. Each participating team then submits a portfolio with their bridge design, a PowerPoint presentation and the strength-to-weight ratio of their bridge.

“This TRAC™ competition gives students the opportunity to learn about bridge building through hands-on experience,” said MDOT Executive Director Melinda McGrath, P.E. “MDOT’s goal is to inspire young students to explore the world of engineering while they have fun learning about the functionality of bridges in a transportation system.”

During the competition, teams present their PowerPoint presentations and test their bridge for mechanics and strength-to-weight ratio. The top three teams in each grade category are honored.

The 2017 Mississippi TRAC™ Bridge Building Challenge winners are as follows.

7^th and 8^th Grade:

First Place – ECMS 8th Grade Team from East Central Middle School in Moss Point

7th-8th grade 2nd Place  Team Phoenix, East Union Attendance Center, Blue Springs (L-R) Jarrod Ravencraft, MDOT Public Affairs; Rett Johnson; Jorja Roberson; Caleb Johnson; Matt Dunn, National TRAC Co-Chair., MDOT Maintenance Engineer; Selena Standifer, MDOT Public Affairs Deputy Director.

Second Place – Team Phoenix from East Union Attendance Center in Blue Springs

Third Place – Master Bridge Builders from Long Beach Middle School

9^th and 10^th Grade:

First Place – MTN Engineering from Moss Point Career and Technical Education Center

9th-10th grade 2nd Place: Three Engineers, East Union Attendance Center, Blue Springs (L-R): Jarrod Ravencraft, MDOT Public Affairs Division Director; Kye Roberts; Will Duley; Matt Dunn, National TRAC Co-Chair and District 1 Maintenance Engineer;  Selena Standifer, MDOT Public Affairs Deputy Dir.

Second Place – Three Engineers from East Union Attendance Center in Blue Springs

Third Place – Trilet from Forrest County Agricultural High School in Brooklyn

11^th and 12^th Grade:

First Place – Engineering Knights from Moss Point Career and Technical Education Center

Second Place – Quest from Moss Point Career and Technical Education Center

Third Place – Mantachie Macho Men from Mantachie High School

On Tuesday, June 27, the first place winners in the 7^th-8^th grade and 11^th-12^th grade division were recognized at a meeting of the Mississippi Transportation Commission at MDOT Headquarters in Jackson. The first place team in the 9^th-10^th grade division was unable to attend.

This competition displays how Mississippi’s students are learning about transportation while excelling in STEM education. For more information about MDOT’s STEM education outreach programs, visit GoMDOT.com/stemeducation.

For Video of TRAC competition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_qO8jcu0Oc